JD Vance Demands Answers About Ohio Train Derailment

Ohio Republican Sen. JD Vance said he is “certainly not” happy with the Transportation Sec. Pete Buttigieg’s handling of the train derailment in eastern Palestine.

“He’s more concerned about racism and white construction workers,” Vance told DailyMail.com.

Explaining what he is looking for in the Department of Transportation, Vance said: “I would like to see further investigation.” I would like to see some candor about what the regulatory failure was.’

Buttigieg has said on Twitter that his agency is supporting the ongoing investigations into the 50-car derailment on February 3 and will work to “ensure accountability.”

But the 41-year-old transport secretary came under fire Monday during remarks at the National Association of Counties Conference for failing to address the derailment that spilled toxic chemicals and forced thousands to evacuate their homes.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the Environmental Protection Agency is working “hand in hand” with the state of Ohio. “The Biden Administration has been in contact with local officials to ensure their needs are met,” she added.

During his remarks, Buttigieg accused construction sites of not hiring workers who look like the communities they are building for.

“We’ve heard too many stories of past generations of infrastructure where you have a neighborhood, often a neighborhood of color, that eventually sees the project come to them, but everyone with helmets on that project, doing high-paying jobs, it doesn’t seem like they came from anywhere near the neighborhood,” Buttigieg said.

Transportation Sec. Pete Buttigieg tweeted that his agency was working to ‘support’ investigations into an Ohio train derailment that spilled toxic chemicals and forced thousands to evacuate.

He also praised infrastructure projects underway across the country, calling it an “exciting time” as the $1.2 trillion Bipartisan Infrastructure Act invests funds in the transportation sector.

Later in the evening, Buttigieg tweeted about the derailment: “Continuing to be concerned about the impacts of the February 3 train derailment near East Palestine, OH, and the effects on families in the ten days since their lives were changed.” for not”. their own fault.

He said his department had been supporting a National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigation.

“We will review the results of this investigation and, based on them, we will use all relevant authorities to ensure accountability and continue to support security,” it added.

But viewers expected the transportation secretary to address the February 3 train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, which led to a toxic chemical leak and the evacuation of some 5,000 local residents.

About 50 cars on a Norfolk Southern Railroad train went off the track while traveling from Illinois to Pennsylvania. The train had been carrying toxins such as vinyl chloride, phosgene, and hydrogen chloride.

According to the National Cancer Institute, vinyl chloride is associated “with an increased risk of a rare form of liver cancer (hepatic angiosarcoma), as well as primary liver cancer (hepatocellular carcinoma), brain and lung cancer, lymphoma, and leukemia”.

Officials conducted a controlled burn of the spill and evacuated residents within a one-mile radius of the incident.

Residents of the small town along the Pennsylvania-Ohio border were allowed to return after tests confirmed the air and water were safe.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA, for its acronym in English) said on Sunday that it has detected no worrying levels of toxins in air quality, although the incident raises concerns about lasting ecological damage and dangerous working conditions for rail employees.

The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency has said the city’s water supply is safe, but the spill has killed fish. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources estimated that some 3,500 fish swimming in polluted streams died from the incident.

Smoke rises from the wreckage of a train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio.

This photo taken with a drone shows parts of a Norfolk Southern freight train that derailed Friday night in East Palestine, Ohio, are still burning at noon on Saturday, February 4, 2023.

Buttigieg’s hesitance to publicly address the matter was noted on social media.

“Jokes about balloons while ignoring East Palestine, OH,” former Democratic state Sen. Nina Turner of Ohio tweeted, along with a video of Buttigieg referencing the Chinese spy balloon shot down last week over the Atlantic Ocean.

“We deserve better than this,” he added.

“When the subject of racist highways or white construction crews comes up, Secretary @PeteButtigieg is an open book,” David Giglio, a former congressional candidate from California, wrote on Twitter. ‘But, when an ecological disaster strikes Ohio, he’s MIA.’

Former Rep. Mayra Flores, Republican of Texas, tweeted Monday: ‘The silence of the press and the federal government is a breach of duty to the public. Where is Pete Buttigieg? How will this Ohio train wreck affect our farmers, the nearby population, and our supply chain to Americans?’

After the accident, some railway experts they have called Buttigieg’s Department of Transportation to reinstate an Obama-era regulation aimed at expanding the use of electronic braking technology, considered safer than the widely used braking systems that have been around since the 19th century.

Railroad lobbyists had successfully lobbied the Trump administration to repeal the 2015 rule that required newer, safer electronic brake systems on some trains carrying hazardous materials.

‘The railway derailment in eastern Palestine will have a significant negative impact on the health and well-being of residents for decades and there is almost no national media attention. We need a congressional investigation and direct action from @PeteButtigieg to address this tragedy,” Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., a team member, wrote on Twitter Monday night.

“Totally agree,” Sen. Ted Cruz responded Tuesday morning.

‘So do you support reinstating the rail safety rules that Trump repealed while Norfolk Southern executives made millions and spent billions on stock buybacks, and expanding the safety rules to cover trains carrying these chemicals? ‘ Omar asked him.